Upon registering at an electronically protected hotel, a guest is provided with a magnetic key card. After locating his/her hotel room, the guest will insert the magnetic key card into a slot near the door handle, wait for a green light to go on (which indicates that the key card worked), and then turn the handle and enter the room. The value of this key card system in a hotel setting is readily apparent: no problem with lost keys compromising security. After each guest checks out, the key cards are invalidated by a computer at the front desk even if they aren't turned in. The next guest gets a new and unique card.
The hotel guest may also be provided with a separate guest card, which identifies the individual as a guest of the hotel and allows the guest to charge at any of the hotel's facilities. Such a card typically displays the guest's name, account number, as well as arrival and departure dates.
Providing a hotel guest with multiple cards at check-in can be costly and inefficient. Also, it is not uncommon for a guest to misplace one of his/her cards, which absorbs more of the hotel's time and resources replacing them.
A need therefore exists for streamlining these check-in procedures.
Referring now to gift cards or credit vouchers, organizations often provide gift certificates for purchase that are usually in the form of a plastic credit card. The card is uniquely designed and customized to represent the corporation, business, brokerage firm, retailer or university for which the card is made.
So-called “declining balance” gift cards or credit vouchers are designed to be reused until the value on the card is fully depleted. Cards may typically be reloaded or recharged so that customers may use them over and over again. Unfortunately, real time gift card balance information is not discernable upon viewing the card.
A need therefore exists for “declining balance” gift cards which display real time gift card balance information.
In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a multifunction, direct thermal recording material that overcomes the noted drawbacks associated with the check-in procedure at hotels and with prior art “declining balance” gift cards.